Underneath the Veil: After Dorian Gray
by MonaLisa16
Summary: Lucy Huntz used to work for Mr. Gray. After he died, she was put out on the streets, looking for work. When she remembers the portrait, she decides to go back to the house and ressurect him. Little doesn she know that she's about to make a grave mistake.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

Everyone in the city had known about the death of Dorian Gray. How they had found a wrinkled and disgusting old man in his place, stabbed, in front of his portrait, was always gossiped at the dinner table every now and again. No one was really sure how it had happened. All they knew was that it did happen. I clutched my shawl around me tighter to bite the nipping cold air that was blowing the streets.

Snow crunched under my feet as I made my way to my squandered apartment in the dumps of this city. When I heaved open the door, I was greeted by Mrs. Mortimer, the landowner of the property who was always nagging me to pay my rent. She was a bony, frail, shell of a woman, who often looked sick with age and her white hair matted and tangled most of the time.

"You're late again on the rent Jewels!" she hissed, looking up at me with her dim, gray eyes.

I sighed at my nickname and pulled out a silver coin, the only one I had managed to scrape off of my boss. She ripped it from my numb fingers and bit it, as if her life depended on it.

"That's a dear!" She laughed. "That's a good girl, Jewels!"

She bustled off somewhere down the dark and gloomy halls, laughing madly. I shook my head and ascended the stairs to my room. As soon as I was inside, I locked the door and sat down on my tiny bed.

I had passed by Dorian's home earlier this afternoon. The place had been boarded up after his supposed death and parents told their children that if you passed by it at night, you could hear the piano Dorian always played, giving away a haunting melody that would rattle your bones. That had been three years ago. Back when I had had a very nice job and a decent apartment. Now, I was stuck here.

I laid down and looked up at the rotting ceiling. How I missed him so. A smile crept on my face. He had been so youthful and beautiful. I sat up once again and undid the tight bun of my honey-colored hair, letting it cascade over my shoulders and down my back.

It still puzzled me, though. How Mr. Gray had died. It was all rather odd, really. A once young man soon replaced with a devilish appearance of himself. And then that's when I remembered the portrait. The one his Basil friend had painted for him before all that mess had started to happen.

Since I had been the maid there, after Mrs. Leaf had been fired for reasons unknown, I was always the one cleaning. Of course, I sometimes didn't bother, since Mr. Gray had always been out and about with some other important business and he didn't mind if I cleaned or not since he never expected company during that time except for a few friends every now and then. Which was why I had been the one to see the painting, that day.

_Almost finished, I thought. Just about done. One more room to go. I walked up the stairs, to the one room no one really wanted to go to since it was such a hassle to get to. I somehow managed to pry the door open and enter. The place was a little dark, except for the little bit of light that peaked through the small window on the ceiling. There was hardly anything in there, either. Just for some cobwebs and dust. Easy cleaning, really. But that was when my eyes caught sight of something on the other side of the room, a sheet thrown over it. It bore the shape of a frame, so I decided I would go ahead and clean it and ask Mr. Gray if he would like me to have Christopher to hang it up later. _

_So, I walked over to the large bundle and was just about to tear away its cover before a silky voice caught me. _

"_What are you doing up here?"_

_I jumped, startled, and dropped the corner of the sheet I had had in my hand. Turning, I caught sight of my handsome employer Mr. Dorian Gray. Even though he was around his mid-thirties, he shown no signs of aging, his curly blonde hair, glossy and full, his ivory face and square jaw strikingly attractive still. _

_He was dressed in a new suit, one that he had probably just recently bought. But what caught me off guard was his eyes. They were dark and almost stormy. Which made me tremble at the sight of him. "I-I was just cleaning, Mr. Gray."_

"_How did you get up here? This room was supposed to be inaccessible to everyone." He stated._

"_The door was unlocked, Mr. Gray. I figured you had just left it open for me to clean."_

"_Did you now?" He walked closer to me and I felt my body shake. Even though he was beautiful, he was a very frightening man. I had once heard that he had been a kind boy, full of love and life. And, now, it was gone. Many presumed it had been the work of Lord Henry, but none ever gossiped about it excessively. _

"_Y-y-yes."_

"_Hm." He startled to circle me, as if he were an animal and I was his prey. _

_I gulped and looked down at the floor. _

_This only made him chuckle. "Are you afraid of me, Lucy?"_

_I didn't say anything._

"_I'm sure you've heard the stories. And being so young, I'm sure you were naïve enough to believe them." _

_I wanted to retort with something, but I decided against it. He was my employer after all. _

"_You do know you can speak to me, Lucy. I won't kill you."_

_He had probably meant for it as a joke, for he laughed boisterously at it. Still, I said nothing. I heard him stop behind me and soon felt his hot breath on my neck, making me quiver again. _

"_So young. So fair." _

As are you, _I wanted to say. But I didn't. I knew the stories about him alright. Even though he never really shown it, I heard he had had many exclusive affairs with many young women. So I decided against the feelings that were pulsing in my blood, and thought rationally about the situation. _

"_Did you want to look at the portrait, Lucy?" He asked, his lips now on my skin. _

_My breath staggered, but I didn't say anything. _

_I felt him grab my upper arm and squeeze it tight, forcing me to gasp. "Answer me."_

"_Yes."_

"_Yes what?"_

"_Yes I wanted to see it." _

"_Do you still want to?" _

_His voice sounded enchanting and so captivating. But I just shook it away. "I must be going now, Mr. Gray. I'm sorry for intruding upon your things." I tried to pull away from him, but he grabbed the strings of my apron and reeled me back against him. _

_This time, he gripped both of my arms and his voice didn't sound so friendly. "If you ever- EVER- come up here again." He chuckled. "Well, let's just say it won't be a very charming evening for either of us."_

_He shoved me away from him with enough force to send me stumbling towards the door. _

_Shaking, I opened it and walked out. But not before turning quickly to see him turn and yank down the curtain. I only caught a quick glimpse of the painting before I shook my head and practically ran down the stairs. _

_That was the first time I had been up in that room. But it wouldn't be my last. _


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

_**Dorian. Dorian. Dorian Gray. His face flickered in my mind, his smile seductive and wanting. His shirt was unbuttoned, revealing his chiseled features. "Is this what you wanted Lucy? You wanted me, didn't you?"**_

_**I backed away from him, hitting the door. His face was remarkably calm and his eyes were teasing. **_

"_**Don't be afraid of me Lucy." **_

_**My hand flew behind me and tried to find the knob, but failed. Not before he grabbed me by the hair, wrenching me to the floor. **_

"_**Did you really think that you could be rid of me Lucy?" **_

_**I staggered to my feet, almost tripping on my nightgown, the exact one he had bought me. "I-I didn't think of anything." **_

_**I felt his hands shove me towards the bed. But, having his aim fail, I smacked against the bedposts instead, hitting my head against it with a rather surprising amount of force. I cried out in pain at the shock of it and crumpled to the floor again, clutching my head.**_

_**Dorian's laughter filled my ears. And then, there was that sound. That same seething sound. "It's alright Lucy. This will only hurt for a moment." **_

**My body lurched forward, throwing away the dirty sheets to the floor in a tangled heap. Gasping, I wiped at my face, pulling back my sweat covered hands. It was just a nightmare, a godforsaken nightmare. Trembling, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. I realized I hadn't changed out of my clothes into my night things. I shrugged out of them and slipped on the yellowed material, feeling the memories of those many nights returning: the kisses, the romantic words. Something about him had seemed tranquil and…I shook my head and turned to the small, cracked mirror at the far side of the room. I walked over to it and gazed at my reflection. I seen light blue eyes, framed by hair that had been frazzled my tricks of the mind.**

**But, there was something else. As I looked into the mirror longer, it seemed to elongate, it's frame widening and stretching with the creak of wood, the glass screeching. I pressed my hands against my ears and fell to the floor. **

**The screeching became louder until I could hear it ringing in my ears. I squeezed my eyes closed, hoping that it would do something to help. But, as quickly as it had come, the quicker it had left. I sat there for a moment, listening to the quiet silence and opened my eyes, pulling my hands away from the sides of my head. **

**Before me, as I pulled myself to my feet, was a mirror that stood about seven feet in length and four feet in width. I walked in front of it.**

"**This can't be real." I whispered. "This can't be real at all. I must still be asleep." **

"**I'm afraid you are not." **

**That was when I realized that I wasn't the only one standing in the mirror. Behind me, with his hands along the curves of my waist, was Dorian Gray, his eyes sad, but his smile amused. **

"**D-Dorian?" It couldn't be him. I have to be dreaming. I've got to be dreaming. **

"**Yes, my dearest." He kissed my earlobe and looked at my eyes through the mirror. "It is me."**

"**But…you're dead." I whispered, still in shock and disbelief.**

**This only made him laugh a little. "Of course, dear Lucy, but who says I am not something of your mind?"**

**I stood, pondering this. What he said was true. But, maybe…**

"**You're not Dorian." I stated, sure of myself.**

**His smile faded and his eyes flooded with anger. His grip tightened on me until I couldn't breathe. "I ****am**** Dorian. Do you think I really died? Do you really think my friend was going to trap me in there!? MY SINS!? THEY'RE NOTHING!!" **

**His screaming became frantic until it began to hurt my ears like the glass had done. "You're not Dorian, you're not Dorian, you're not Dorian." I chanted. **

"**YOU LITTLE…" Before he could finish, he threw me against the mirror. Shattering glass pierced my ears and I heard his cries along with them. **

"**NOOO!!!" **

**When I opened my eyes, I found myself in my bed, my oil lamp on, and my window wide open to the city. A dream. It had been a dream. I had been right about still being asleep. I looked down at my work clothes, that I had never changed out of, and got up. I walked over to the windowsill and touched it. It was still night, and the smoggy air of the pollution city wafted into my room and I closed the window. It had all seemed so real: His touches, the glass shattering, his screaming. I shook my head and walked over to the mirror, facing it. And that was when I realized something. **

**I walked closer and peered at it. "It" was a crack. A long, gaping crack that ran from one side to another at the top. I reached forward and ran my fingers over it. When I looked closer, I noticed that the crack was not alone on the mirror's surface. No. There was, also, a handprint. One that was too large to be mine. It was like the skin of whoever it had belonged to was covered in ashes and soot, and printed their hand upon it. I placed my hand on the cool glass and retrieved it back. I hadn't smeared the print. It was still intact. **

**But, that was impossible. Whoever had left the print…had to have been ****behind the glass. **


End file.
